CLEVELAND – The first wind turbine to arrive at the Port of Cleveland from Europe was welcomed on Monday, April 25, 2011. Those involved in the successful arrival of the wind turbine, which will be installed at Lincoln Electric’s facilities in Euclid, praised the event as one which will bring Cuyahoga County one step closer to attracting alternative energy manufacturing and jobs to the area.

Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald said, “This is a down payment on what we think is an emerging industry and we want Cleveland to be at the center of that industry. The $350,000 forgivable loan to Lincoln Electric for the purchase of the Kenersys Europe GmbH K100 2.5 Mega-Watt wind turbine will be an investment in jobs for our residents, as this project will act as a working lab to educate welding and manufacturing engineers, designers, and others associated with the wind tower business.”

“Cleveland is connected to the rest of the world by our deep water port,” said Will Friedman, Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority President/CEO. “The port has been handling heavy lifts for a long time, the equipment is here to continue this type of work, and the Port is committed to making investments in its infrastructure so that we can continue to support these types of activities.”

Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason and Chair of the Great Lakes Energy Development Task Force said, "This is one of the largest turbines in North America – more than three times as large as the I-480 turbine. The Task Force efforts of working with Kenersys is another step in attracting new companies to create good paying jobs."

“I applaud companies like Lincoln Electric who are embracing methods to produce clean, renewable energy,” said Cleveland City Councilman Matt Zone. “I, along with the members of Cleveland City Council, look forward to collaborating with local businesses and governments to help Greater Cleveland become a greener, more sustainable region.”